Improvement in water-filters



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY J. ENNIS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

IM PROVEM ENT IN WATER-FILTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 208,579, dated October1, 1878; application filed September 25, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Beitknown that I, HENRY J. ENNIS, of Washington city, in t-he Districtof Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inWater-Filters; and I do hereby declare th at the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this speciication.

Figure l is a view, in perspective, of filter and cabinet or case havinglter-chamber, filteredwater reservoir, hot-water reservoir, and doors oropenings for access to the hot-water reservoir and filter-chamber, therear of the cabinet being removed to show the interior of the cabinet orcase. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the pipes, and thevalve-connection for opening and closing the same. Fig. 3 is a vel ticallateral sectional view, showing the interior from the end of the cabinetor case. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the filter, showing the hot andcold water pipes in section, to expose the valves to view in theirrespective positions. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a pump,

pipe, and valves employed in connection with the hot-water reservoir inthis cabinet-filter. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the double cock employedin this iilter, showing it connected by a lever to the door of thelter-chamber, in a position to permit the cold water to flow through thelilter, the door' to said chamber being closed; and Fig. 7 shows adetail view of the same, showing the door to the filterchamber open, thecold water being at this time cut oii', and hot water running throughthe lter from the hot-water reservoir.

In the Jiilters now in use, wherein hot water is employed to cleansethem, the hot water has been either forced through the filter in adirection the reverse of that in which the cold water passes, byconnecting the boiler with the iilter, and employing the pressure of thewater from the street-connection to drive it through, or else a lire-boxhas been constructed around a coiled pipe in one end of the iilter, andthe water heated as it passed through the coils, the same pressure beingused in this case as in the former. This pressure, it has been found byexperiment, diiiers materially in different cities and at diii'erenttimes in the same city, and is by no means uniform and reliable. In manyinstances where the filter has been neglected, the pressure has beeninsufcient to force the hot Water through the clogged filtering materialin the filter, and the filter needs to be taken to pieces to cleanitf-an operation almost as expensive as a new lilter would be. Besides,hot-water boilers are not found in all houses where water-pipes areused, and in order to use the filters employed in connection therewith,the expense of a boiler must be incurred. On the other hand, where thefire-box is employed in the filter, time is wasted in building the lireto heat the water for the purpose of cleaning the filter. Extra fuel hasalso to be used, and should it happen that the filter was clogged thepressure from the street-connection might be insufficient to force thehot water through the iilterin g material, and the filter would need tobe taken to pieces to be cleaned. These are some of the serious defectsin the iilters now in use.

To remedy these defects, and to produce a filter that may be placed inany house where water-pipes have been introduced, as well as to make theiilter ornamental, are the objects of my invention; and to these ends itconsists in a iilter placed within a cabinet or case having afilter-chamber, iiltered-water reservoir, hot-water reservoir, suitablepipes connecting them with the filter, and valves, cocks, and lever, anda pump for forcing the hot water through the iilter when too badlyclogged to be overcome by the gravity of the water itself', constructed,arranged, and operating in the manner and for the purposes hereinafterfully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in the several iigures.

A represents a lilter of ordinary construction, having thecold-water-inlet pipe a and the outlet-pipe b for the filtered Water,which is emptied, by means of pipe b, into the iilteredwater reservoirB. c is the hot-water-inlet pipe. The pipes ct and c come near togetherat the lower end of the filter A, and a double cock, C, having la lever,D, is operated to alternately open and close the pipes a and c by aquarter-turn ot' the lever D, which is con nected, by a pivoted arm, E,to the door F. G is the hot-water reservoir, having a door, (shown inFig. 1,) through which hot water is poured from any suitable utensilwhen it becomes necessary to cleanse the tilter. A pump, H, located inthe hot-water reservoir, has the piston I and hinged valve J. Thehot-water pipe c leads downwardly from the pump H, and has aspring-valve, K, wllich opens downwardly therein. Within the filter theend of t-he Coldwater-inlet pipe a comes directly opposite the end ofthe hot-water-outlet pipe f, leading to the sewer. A valve-connection ismade between these two pipes through the valve L, which may have itsseat against either pipe a orf, according to the position to which thedouble cock C has been turned. A spiral spring, h, is connected to thestem t' of the valve L, is coiled within the hot-wateroutlet pipe s, andholds the valve against the end of pipe a. The pressure of the waterfrom the street-connection is suliiciently strong to open thc valve Lwhen flowing through pipe a, and to force the valve L against the end ofpipe f to close it, and cause the water to pass through the filter anddischarge into the filtered-water reservoir B through pipe b. A similarvalve, L', connects the ends of the filtered-water pipe b and the end ofthe hotwater pipe c within the upper end of the iilter A, as shown.During the passage of cold water through the lter the pressure of thewater closes pipe f through valve L, and the pressure of the spring hcloses pipe c through valve L, so that' the pipe b is open to permit thewater to iiow to the filtered-water reservoir B. When, however, thedouble cock C is turned to shut the cold water oii", and hot water ispoured into the hot-water reservoir G, the water by its own gravitypasses through pipe c, and closes the pipe b b v forcing the valve Lagainst it. The spring h has already closed a by the valve L, leavingthe pipe j' open, and the hot water iiows through f to the sink orsewer. At this time the pump H may be used if the filter has become toomuch clogg'ed to be cleaned by the gravity of the hot water itself.

The pump II is connected with the pipe c, as shown in Fig. 5. The pistonI heilig drawn back over the pipe c, the hinged valve J permits thewater in the reservoir G to flow through pump H into pipe c. When it isfound that the gravity of the hot water itself is insucient to force itsway through the tiltering material to the sink. and thereby cleanse thelilter ot' sediment, Sac., the pump H is brought into requisition.

By drawing the piston I hack and filling the pump with hot water, tlendriving the piston in, the valve J will eloseand the springvalve K willopen, forcing the water through the filter to the sink. Of course, thepumping operation can be continued as long as necessary. When the filterhas been cleaned the cock C is turned to admit the cold water. By havingthe cock C connected by the lever D and rod E to the door F there is nodanger of having the hot water and cold water come into the filter atthe same time.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In combination with a filter, a tank or hot-water reservoir adaptedto be filled or furnished with hot water by having the same poured intoit and connected to the ilter by a pipe, so that the hot water willforce its way by its own gravity from the upper end of the filter through the tilterin g material, and escape through the escape-pipe to thesink for cleansing the filter, as set forth.

2. ln combination with a filter having a hot-water reservoir connectedtherewith by a pipe, which will usually permit the hot water to How byits own gravity through the lilter ing material, a force-pump located inthe hotwater reservoir, and connected with the hotwater pipe in such amanner that it may be used to receive the hot water and force it throughthe tlter, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a filter, the combination of the inlet and outlet pipes, placeddirectly opposite, with a valve held against its seat in the inlet-pipeby a spring secured to its stem, and placed in the end of' theoutlet-pipe, so that automatically opening the inlet-pipe will close theoutlet-pipe, as and for the purpose set fort-h.

4. A iilter incased within a cabinet having a ltered-water reservoir anda hot-water reservoir, and connected to both with suitable pipes,substantially as set forth.

5. In a cabinet-filter having a filtered-water reservoir and a hot-waterreservoir, the combination of the cold-water-inlet pipe and thehot-water-inlet pip with the double cock, which, when turned, will openthe one and close the other, and vice versa, as and for the purpose setforth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

H. J. ENNIS.

Vi'itnesses:

THEO. MUNGEN. JOHN ODoNNoGHUE.

